NEW SOUTH WALES 85 



Bega, and as far north as the Mackenzie River. 

 Before civiHsation changed the face of the earth 

 it was regularly found about Port Jackson. 



Bower Birds are amongst the most wonderful 

 animals of the world by reason of their play- 

 grounds, their remarkable colours, and the pic- 

 turesque marking of their eggs. 



INTERNAL MIGRATION AND 



DISTRIBUTION 



(Plate 1, Fig. 7: Plate 3, Fig. 93: Plate 2, Fig. 35) 



Migration and distribution are very different and 

 equally variable. With our Bee-eaters, Rollers, 

 Kingfishers and Cuckoos, the migration covers a 

 distance of two thousand miles, and is within the 

 Commonwealth. The sub-regional or State migra- 

 tion is the real internal — and much shorter flight. 

 Both return to the same place they nested in the 

 previous year, the strongest going further south. 

 They are those born in the higher latitudes and are 

 more robust. Halcyon, the wood kingfisher, arrives 

 in Victoria generally in October. Millions of birds 

 pass between Queensland and Victoria in Spring 

 and Autumn. 



The exodus from New South Wales Eyrean to 

 Queensland Eyrean is an irregular internal migra- 

 tion due to drought. The Bustard will miss its 

 usual nesting season in July — August in its own 

 territory of New South Wales and lay in January 



